


poker face

by fictionalinfinity



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Aged Up, Alya Césaire Knows, Alya sugar, F/M, Fluff, Identity Reveal, miracuclass, they play twister
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-27
Updated: 2021-02-27
Packaged: 2021-03-19 03:28:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,738
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29744304
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fictionalinfinity/pseuds/fictionalinfinity
Summary: Alya thought back on Adrien and Marinette’s strange behavior throughout the past few weeks. While it had been a long time since Marinette had stumbled over her love for their friend, the tendency had come back with a vengeance. However, it seemed to be affecting Adrien this time around too.They were always in each other’s proximity when Alya saw them. She would watch as they exchanged tender smiles and looked after each other with eyes full of awe when the other couldn’t see. She would watch as the back of their hands brushed against each other as they walked before finding purchase, their hands fitting together so perfectly it was like they were made to be together.And it was maddening.When were they going to realize that they were in love?
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir & Alya Césaire, Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Alya Césaire & Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Alya Césaire/Nino Lahiffe
Comments: 17
Kudos: 163
Collections: January 2021 - Exchange





	poker face

**Author's Note:**

  * For [LadyEnna_50](https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyEnna_50/gifts).



> Thank you so much to [Silv](https://archiveofourown.org/users/SilverMoonSky/pseuds/SilverMoonSky) for beta reading! <3
> 
> Ladyenna, I hope you enjoy!

Alya stared down at the fruity cocktail swirling in her glass, scowling thoughtfully. Nino settled himself beside her and she leaned into his warmth. 

“You’re staring at that glass like it has the answers to life and won’t tell you,” Nino laughed.

“Mmph,” Alya whined. “Maybe it does.” Without another thought, she downed the last sip of the glass.

“Here, let me make you another,” Nino offered, taking Alya’s glass and disappearing into the kitchen. She was left alone on the couch, the old ragged cushions sinking beneath her as the weight of the events from that morning washed over her. 

_ Marinette was Ladybug. _

_ Adrien was Chat Noir. _

Not even a few hours ago, Alya had managed to discover both of the heroes' identities during one of the more intense akuma battles they’d faced. She hadn’t  _ meant _ to find out, honestly! It was pure coincidence that found Alya in the alley where Ladybug and Chat had apparently chosen to recharge that day. Crouching behind a dumpster, Alya had meant to creep forward to get a better angle on the fight when Chat Noir had landed roughly in front of her. 

Barely a moment later, Chat’s transformation was falling and the air had been knocked right out of Alya’s lungs. 

_ Adrien. _

She barely had time to comprehend it before he was feeding a wedge of something to his little black kwami, transforming, and vaulting away to rejoin the fight. Mere moments later, Ladybug swung in on her yo-yo and detreansformed, revealing  _ Marinette. _ Alya stayed perfectly still while her friend fed her kwami, transformed again, and swung away to help her partner. 

Alya was barely aware of her hands moving before she’d deleted the footage of the scene she’d gotten, making sure the file could never be recovered. She didn’t come out from the alley until well after the akuma fight ended to make sure she wasn’t seen, before running home to Nino.

That was how she’d found herself parked on their couch, waiting for their guests to arrive. She and Nino were hosting an informal reunion for the fifth anniversary of their graduation. Now she had to play gracious hostess to her class while this bombshell of information wreaked havoc in her mind. 

_ She needed more alcohol. _

She could barely sit still, knowing what she knew. She had to wonder, did they know too? 

Alya thought back on Adrien and Marinette’s strange behavior throughout the past few weeks. While it had been a long time since Marinette had stumbled over her love for their friend, the tendency had come back with a vengeance. However, it seemed to be affecting Adrien this time around too. 

They were always in each other’s proximity when Alya saw them. She would watch as they exchanged tender smiles and looked after each other with eyes full of awe when the other couldn’t see. She would watch as the back of their hands brushed against each other as they walked before finding purchase, their hands fitting together so perfectly it was like they were  _ made _ to be together. 

And it was  _ maddening. _

When were they going to realize that they were in love?

Maybe… Maybe Alya could help. She didn’t realize just how much it hurt to know two of her best friends had been dancing around each other for years, believing their love to be unrequited. She would have to pay close attention to the pair when they arrived and see what she could do. Perhaps the party was the perfect opportunity to make sense of all of this chaos. 

“Here you go, babe.” Nino called her out of her reverie, handing her a new glass. Alya smiled, pressing a kiss to the corner of his mouth. “So, guests arriving soon?”

“Yep! Should be just a few minutes now. Is everything ready?”

Nino nodded. “Booze and board games are ready to go! I got Twister out too.”

Alya nodded her thanks. Just as she was about to ask if he’d noticed anything off about their friends recently, a knock came at the door. She set her drink aside carefully, smoothed out her shirt, and went to answer. 

“Welcome!” Alya greeted, swinging the door open to see Alix, Kim, and Max waiting on the other side. Even so many years after they’d graduated, she could still count on seeing the small group do everything together. “Come on in! Help yourselves to some snacks or the mini bar, there’s plenty to go around.”

“Thanks, Alya! Long time no see,” Alix grinned, adjusting the motorcycle goggles in her hair and drawing attention to her new red tips. Alya found herself a little surprised by how tall she’d gotten, but didn’t comment on it. The new look suited her. 

The group meandered into the apartment, leaving Alya to greet the remainder of the guests. Ivan and Mylene arrived next, followed by Rose, Juleka, and Nathaniel. Then came Chloe and Sabrina. As the clock ticked by, Alya began to wonder if Adrien and Marinette were even coming. 

“Have you heard from Adrien?” Alya asked Nino once they’d both escaped to the kitchen and away from the noise. Alya had forgotten how loud her old classmates could be, especially once alcohol was in the equation. Kim and Alix had immediately broken out the beer pong and were making a ruckus while the others cheered them on in the living room. 

“No, but the weather picked up not too long ago. Maybe they got caught in the rain?”

“Hmm, maybe,” Alya replied. It wasn’t unlike them to be late, but now she had an extra reason to worry. What if there’d been an akuma attack? Were they out there at this very moment, fighting? She hated the feeling of anxiety eating at her.

The ringing of the doorbell saved her from the awful feeling a few moments later.

Alya weaved her way through the guests and made her way to the door, swinging it open to see a sopping wet Adrien and Marinette clinging to each other and laughing at some joke she wasn’t privy to. So involved in each other, they barely seemed to notice her.

Alya swallowed thickly.  _ Don’t let them know you know. _

“H-Hey, guys! Welcome!”

“Alya! Hi, sorry about the mess, the rain caught us by surprise. May we come in?” Marinette asked, smiling broadly at her. The image of a red and black domino mask over her face flashed across Alya’s mind. 

“Sure thing! You can use the bathroom to dry off if you’d like,” Alya offered. 

They both thanked her and followed her to the hall closet where she fetched some fresh towels for them. When Marinette went into the bathroom to clean herself up, it left Alya alone with Adrien for the first time. An… opportunity, of sorts, presented itself. As an investigative journalist, she was perfectly suited to discovering the truth. 

Taking a sip from her drink, she turned to him.

“So, you have been spending a lot of time with Marinette lately. What’s up with that?”

If Adrien picked up on something mischievous in her voice, he didn’t show it. He smiled, the picture of innocence. “I really enjoy spending time with Marinette!”

Alya narrowed her eyes at him, searching for a fault. She found none. 

“My girl’s always been great to hang out with. She’s kind, generous, selfless. She’d make a really great Ladybug, don’t you think? An everyday Ladybug, that’s what you used to call her?” Alya pressed. If she weren’t so focused on Adrien, perhaps she would’ve laughed at the irony. 

Her efforts were rewarded with a small twitch of his eye at the nickname. Excluding that, his outward appearance showed no cracks.  _ Come on, Adrien, _ she thought. 

“Yes, Marinette’s a wonderful everyday Ladybug! She’s  _ amazing,” _ Adrien smiled brightly, his eyes glistening with awe. “I only wish I’d noticed sooner. Being around her, it’s… it’s as easy as breathing.”

Alya briefly pondered tearing her hair out at the statements. Instead, she took another sip of her drink. 

Before she could press him any further on it, Alya heard the bathroom door creak open. Marinette emerged looking freshly towel dried. Her eyes drifted towards Adrien immediately and the pair smiled at each other before Adrien disappeared into the bathroom. 

“Hey, girl!” Alya cooed, wincing as her voice came out louder than intended. Oh, well. 

“Hey, Alya! How are you? I saw you didn’t get any footage of today’s akuma fight. What happened?” Marinette asked.

“Oh! Um, I got caught up getting ready for the party! Yeah. But enough about me, Mar, tell me about  _ Adrien. _ He’s been awful…  _ chat- _ ty with you lately, right? Are you into him again?”

“Chatty? Ahaha,  _ Alya, _ I’m not sure what you mean! Why, do  _ you _ think he’s been…  _ chat _ -ty?” Marinette narrowed her eyes, her face set in an awkward pout. 

_ What is up with those mixed signals, girl? _ Alya frowned. 

“Just wondering if maybe you’d… learned something new about him recently, that’s all. It’s nothing, really! Come on, let’s go get you a drink,” she suggested, putting her arm around Marinette and leading her to the kitchen. 

They chatted somewhat normally while Alya prepared their drinks, catching each other up on their weeks. Alya learned that Marinette had made herself a new purse. She told Marinette about the newest article she’d written. If it weren’t for the fact that she caught sight of some movement in her friends purse (it must’ve been the kwami, she realized), Alya could almost pretend she didn’t know that her friend had just been swinging around in skin-tight spandex a few hours ago.

(Suddenly, being chosen as Rena Rouge made a lot more sense.)

When they rejoined the party, Adrien had joined in on the beer pong. He was also being interrogated by Kim, it seemed. 

“So, you and Marinette finally got together, huh? Alix, pay up, I told you they’d be together before the reunion,” Kim taunted, half focused on aiming his ping pong ball. When it found its target, he gave a loud whoop.

“Wait, what?” Adrien asked. His eyes desperately sought out Marinette’s, softening when he found her. Alya watched as Marinette shook her head almost imperceptibly and Adrien’s shoulders tensed. 

“Kim, I don’t think anyone’s won any bets. Marinette and I are just hanging out!” Adrien explained with a laugh and serene face. Beside him, Marinette blushed. 

The rest of the class hushed, glancing between Marinette and Adrien awkwardly. 

“Are… Are you sure?” Rose asked.

“Anybody up for a game of Twister?!” Nino shouted, standing up and shaking the box. Alya heaved a long-suffering sigh.

The first round found Alya, Marinette, Adrien, and Sabrina crowded onto the mat in strange contortions with Nino as referee. Around them, their classmates cheered. 

“Alya,” Nino called. “Right hand red.”

Alya groaned, shifting over to the opposite side and stretching her shoulder painfully. He called out a move for Sabrina and Alya watched on with jealousy as she shifted over a mere spot. 

“Marinette, right foot in the air!”

Marinette lifted her leg into the air quickly. Nino called on Adrien next, moving his left foot onto a green spot. They circled back around until they arrived at Marinette once more.

“Marinette, left hand in the air.”

“Got it!” Marinette replied, moving her hand up effortlessly. Alya watched keenly, waiting for her to wobble, but she didn’t. 

“You doing alright, Marinette?” Adrien grinned, teasing.

“I’m just fine, thank you. Are you doubting me?” Marinette shot right back. Alya wanted to scream.  _ Can’t you see who each other are?! _

“Adrien, right foot red,” Nino called, and Adrien stepped carefully over Alya, not even bothered. 

Yeah, there was no way Alya was winning this. 

Sabrina collapsed in the next round, leaving only Marinette, Adrien, and Alya. Soon it was Marinette’s turn once more.

“Marinette… left foot in the air.”

“Damn, girl, how do you keep getting those?” Alya huffed, wondering if she might have a chance to win after all. 

Marinette promptly maneuvering herself into a one handed handstand shut her up.

“I give up. She’s impossible,” Alya whined, collapsing onto the floor and crawling away. Nino laughed and offered her a hand up. She joined the crowd as they watched two effing  _ superheroes  _ battle it out for Twister dominance and laughing all the while. 

In the end, neither came out as the winner. They were interrupted by a loud crash a few blocks away, startling Marinette so badly that she fell on top of Adrien and he crashed under her weight. 

“My nose!” Adrien exclaimed, his hands flying up to cover it.

“Whoops! Better go help him clean that up! Bye!” Marinette exclaimed, grabbing Adrien’s wrist, yanking him up to his feet and dragging them down the hall towards the guest bedroom. 

That confirmed it.

_ They knew. _

Alya sighed, grabbed her phone, and ran out the front door. 

Outside, the rain was still coming down forcefully but Alya ignored it. She could see smoke rising a few streets over and heard the sound of muffled shouting. Vaguely, she recognized Ladybug and Chat Noir’s voices. Just as she rounded the last street corner, she heard Ladybug shout “Lucky Charm!”

A fluffy toy bunny fell out of the sky and into Ladybug’s arms. The akuma (a small toddler, Alya realized) saw it and immediately stopped what she was doing to coo over it. 

“Bunny!” The little girl exclaimed, climbing down from her flying mound of stuffed animals. 

“Hey, sweetheart! I’ll trade you this cute bunny for your hammer. What do you say?” Ladybug offered softly, shaking the bunny out in front of her. Chat smiled at her from a few feet away, his eyes full of such tender love that Ladybug blushed.

“Okay!” The akuma answered, handing over the bunny in exchange for the hammer. Without hesitating, Ladybug broke the hammer in two and purified the dark butterfly that flew forth. 

The child’s mother came to collect her from where she’d been watching anxiously, pulling her into a hug and pressing kisses to her forehead. She thanked Ladybug and Chat Noir before taking the girl’s hand and leading them home, presumably. 

Ladybug and Chat Noir, believing themselves to be alone, forgoed their usual fist bump for a kiss. 

“Ahem?” Alya coughed. The pair broke apart with a jump, turning to face her.

“A-Alya?” Ladybug asked at the same moment that Chat Noir said, “you definitely didn’t just see that!”

“Don’t worry. I won’t tell anyone. I’m just surprised you didn’t tell me! You know I’ve been trying to get you two together for years.”

“You have?” Chat quirked an eyebrow, confused. Ladybug merely sighed. 

“She knows, Chat. Don’t you, Alya? That’s why you were so weird at the party earlier.”

“I…” Alya started, “...yeah, I do. I swear, it was an accident. I won’t ever tell anyone, either!”

“How long have you known?” Chat gaped.

“I found out a few hours ago. I was hiding in the alley when you recharged your kwamis,” Alya admitted.

“That was stupid of us,” Ladybug sighed. “But… I trust you, Alya. I chose you for the fox for a reason. I know you won’t tell anyone,” she said, giving her a small smile. Chat nodded his agreement. 

“Of course, girl! Now about what happened at the party… are you  _ sure _ you’re not dating?”

Ladybug and Chat both laughed. “Uh… we are? But we aren’t really telling anyone yet. We just figured out who each other are, we’re still getting the hang of a few things. Trust me, you would’ve been the first person I’d told,” Ladybug answered. 

“I want to tell Nino next. He deserves to know too,” Chat added. 

“I’m sure he’d like that,” Alya smiled. “Well, now that I know, I can help with redirecting. I’ll steer the Ladyblog as far away from you both as possible, and I’ll help make your excuses when I can. Even if I can’t be Rena Rouge, I want to help.”

“I’m sorry we can’t give you the fox again, Alya,” Ladybug frowned. “It’s just too dangerous.”

“I know, and I’ve made my peace with that. Doesn’t mean I can’t still help my friends,” she shrugged.

Ladybug pulled her into a hug, wrapping her arms around her tightly. When Chat didn’t move, Ladybug grumbled and pulled him in too. Clinging to each other and laughing, Alya didn’t even mind that she’d been completely soaked by the rain.

**Author's Note:**

> Kudos and comments appreciated!


End file.
